"I Learned the Hard Way" Laundry List

I'm honored to post for you all the first (of many, I hope) entry from my dear friend, Susan.  She has so much to offer to this forum.  Please leave comments and let us know if you try any of these Laundry List items!

I would like to add a few “learning the hard way” items to Maria’s “laundry list”!

I wash all good clothes – shirts, blouses, sweaters, dress pants, and dresses – inside out.  I also wash all dark – black, navy blue, and brown – items inside out.  You won’t believe how much longer the color will last in these items when you wash them this way.

I have always used a clothes line (inside the house and outside – you can also use a rack) because I just fluff these good clothes in the dryer for a few minutes and then line dry on plastic hangers the rest of the way.  This cuts way down on ironing and adds body to the clothes.  It also helps your clothes to last longer – have you ever wondered where all that lint comes from in your dryer????

Another big help is Dawn dishwashing liquid to clean collars – just squirt a line of Dawn along the collar and rub in; wash normally.  It gets rid of the “ring around the collar” marks every time!  It also works on any oil-based stains like magic!

As for ironing, I do most of that inside out too.  It prevents scorching and leaving those “heat” marks from the iron especially on dark clothes.  On dress shirts, you can iron the plackets smoother and easier on the inside and if you have used my method of drying, you probably will only have to iron the collar and placket (both sides of button area) and cuffs of most shirts.  The same applies to dress pants.  The pocket areas will look much better if ironed on the inside and then turn to do the crease in the legs.